Gummed tape applier



June 12, 1951 w. c. RENNE 2,556,443

GUMMED TAPE APPLIER Filed Nov. 6, 1947 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 W. C. RENNE-GUMMED TAPE APPLIER June 12, 1951 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. e, 1947June 12, 1951 w. c. RENNE 2,556,443

GUMMED TAPE APPLIER Filed Nov. 6, 1947 4 Sheecs-Shee'rl 5 W70/Wag June12, 1951 w. C. RENNE l 2,556,443

GUMMED TAPE APPLIER Filed Nov. e, 1941' 4 sheets-sheet 4 fifa/Way.

Patented June l2, 1951 UN l TED --S TATES PATE-N T GFF ICE'(EI'JBTMI'JI) TAPE APPLIER William C..Renne, Kansas City,\'Mo.

VApplicationNovember 6, 19.47, `Serial N0. .7 84,343

14 `Claims. l

This invention A.relates :to new and useful im- Yprovements .in agumined'ta'pe applier, and has particular reference'to r-appliers'of thehand operated, portabletype.

The :principal vobject v'of the .present invention is wthe provision .of:a l.hand operable :gummed ytape ...applier whereby gummed-:tape:',oarriedon .a roll flength.

Anotherobject is `the `provision Vof a-handfoperated Igummed ltape:applier icomprising fa body member adapted to carryfa roll iof gunimedtape, a moisteningroller adapted tofbe lwettedlb'y water -carried insaid body -memben a fdrum lcarried 4rotatably by said body memberandag-ainst/which said moistening `roller :is resilientlylurged, .ahandle member pivotally carried 4byf-'said `body ,memben means operableby the movemerit of said'handle whereby said 'drumis rotatedtp-draw'tape from said `roll and over Fsaid moistening roller, and meanstopera'ble lby said handle =for cutting oi said tape-atfany4'd'esire'd'leng-th.

Another object *is the provision :of a tape :applier of the characterdescribed-whereintheftape as it is ejected l.therefrom :passesoverafslotbeytween a pair of rigid 'members, and'jhaving 'a blademanually operable to Aenter v'said slot "to -cut off said 'tape :atzanydesired length.

Another object isthe provision, in a gummed tape applier of thecharacter "described `wherein tape drawn from a.rolljpassesbetweenrotating vdrums or rollers, of ,a drum `havinglongitudinal radial slots formed therein, anda manually operable bladeadapted to enter one vof said-.slots to cut off said tape at any desiredlength;

Another Objectis theprovision, in'afgummed tape vapplier of thecharacter described wherein tape drawn from earoll passesbetween.rota-table drums on rollers, :of means for rnanually ro-` tating one ofsaid drums to -draw any ldesired Ilength of tape rfromsaid roll, :meansfor cutting off said tape, :and means forlockingxsa-idsdrum.againstfurther rotation vat theinstant said tape ,is :cut 01T.

Other objects :are simplicity and economy-of construction, yease and-fei'liciency 4of operation, adaptability 'to be used in :any position,lfand the vprovision of means A'for preventing sticking of the moistenedtape.

With these objectsin view, as 4well asfother objects Jwhich will :appearin .the :course "of vvthe vspe-cieation,reference "will be had to thedrawingsyiirherein.:

:Figure llis a iside elevationof afgummed tap applier embodying -'theVpresent invention, partially broken away, shown in operativerelationship to a, surfaceitowhich tapef-is being applied.

.-Fig. 2 :is ra .fplan :view of fthe applier, partially V'brokenfawayFig, 3 .is van Ainvertedplan AView :of the fapplier, .partially `:brokenaway tand with :the tape lnot fFig. 4 'is a l.vertical 'mid-sectiontaken on line 'IV-IV oi'Fig.l2.

Eig. 5;is"a :fragmentary vertical section rtaken fon line V-LV o'f Fig..2, showing the :blade and triggerassembly at its normal or restposition.

Fig. 1.6 -is :a view of the parts shownwin Fig. .5, A.with the rblade.and trigger :assembly shown vin :the-trippedposition.

vFig. rZ-is a'fragmentary view ofthe parts shown vin Fig-.1, with thepartsfin 4the relativepo'sitions assumed immediately prior totheirelease `of vtl'iecutting blade.

LFig.:8 zisa, sectional view takenonline VIII- v*VIH of Fig. 4, `withthe .tape partially broken .away.

fgummed ftape Vapplierfembo'clying -the fpresent intion.

Fig. l2 is a fragmentary .longitudinal mid-sectioncof .the appliershowninfFig. l1.

Fig. v13 isa plan viewof the parts shown 'in xFig. lil, with 'the `coverpartially broken away.

.Fig. 14 is .ran inverted plan view of the parts shown in Fig. 11, `withthe coverpartia'lly broken Fig. l5 isa View Aof the parts'fshown in Fig..11,

lshowing'the relationship vof the parts after ythe trigger is A'trippedbut before 'the affiner :bar has 16 .is 1a view fnfthe martsashown vvinFig. S11,

ltank 2U.

showing the relationship of the parts after the blade has been releasedand has entered one of the drum slots.

Like reference numerals apply to similar parts throughout the severalviews, and the numeral I8 applies to a body member comprising a flat,hollow, substantially triangular tank portion 28 adapted to serve as areservoir for water, the parallel side walls 22 extending forwardly fromsaid tank. Tank 2Q is provided with a filling plug 24 having a sealingwasher 25. A holder 28 having parallel side walls 3!! is rigidly mountedbetween the forwardly extended portions of tank walls 22 by means of abolt 32 extending therebetween, side walls 3S being maintained in spacedapart relation by means of a sleeve 34 carried on bolt 32, as best shownin Fig. 8. Holder 28 extends above side walls 22, and is adapted tocarry a roll of gummed tape 3e. As best shown in Fig. 8, a leaf spring38 is secured rigidly at its lower end to bolt and at its upper end isprovided with a detent 4e adapted to extend inwardly through a slot i2provided therefor in holder wall 3D and into the core of tape roll 38.Thus the roll is rotatably secured in the holder, but may be easilyreplaced by retracting detent 48 therefrom.

A drum i4 is rigidly mounted on a shaft Sextending between and carriedfor rotation by side walls 22,' said drum extending beneath the loweredges of said side walls. Said drum is formed to present a relativelynarrow band of gear teeth 48 extending circumferentially therearund.Said gear teeth extend outwardly fromthe surface of said drum veryslightly.

A moistening roller E@ is carried rotatably on a shaft 52 parallel toshaft 48, shaft 52 being carried in a spring bracket 54 secured at itsupper end to a bolt 56 extending between side walls 22 adjacent theupper edges thereof. is adapted to urge roller 55 resiliently againstdrum 44. As best shown in Fig. 8, said roller is comprised of aresilient, porous material such as sponge rubber, and is provided with acentral gear wheel 58 adapted to mesh with gear teeth 48 of drum 44. Asshown in Fig. 4 the end portion 80 of the tape from roll 38 is passeddownwardly between bolts 32 and 58 and between drum 44 and roller 553.By adjusting the tension of spring bracket 56|, the tape may be grippedfirmly between gear 5E and gear teeth 4S without appreciably cutting ormultilating said tape. The'tape is so positioned that the gummed sidethereof contacts roller and gear 58 is of slightly smaller diameter thanthe sponge rubber roller 5% so that the sponge rubber will be slightlycompressed as it contacts the tape, thereby forcing water from saidroller to meisten the gummed side of said tape.

At its rearward side, roller 5G passes in wiping contact with a pad 82of sponge rubber or similar material adjacent the upper end thereof,said pad being supported against the front wall @i4 of Said pad ntssnugly at its lower end into a well S8 formed by the forward and upwardextension of tank bottom lli. Said bottom is further extended forwardlyand upwardly to a point adjacent the lower side of roller 53, therebyforming a well adapted to collect water forced from said roller as itcontacts pad 52. A tube 'i2 interconnects well 58 with tank 2i) throughwall 64. Said tube is formed in a loop within tank 28 in order toprevent an excess iiow of water from the tank to well 58. A wick 'i4extends'through tube I2 and falls loosely within tank 2) in order Saidbracket 2 to insure a constant supply of moisture to pad 62 and roller58 as long as water remains in the tank, regardless of the position inwhich the applicator may be placed.

Drum 44 is driven by the following mechanism. A sheet metal handlemember 16 is pivotally connected to body member I8 adjacent the upperfront corner of the tank portion thereof by means vof pivot pin l, andforms a scissors-type hand grip in conjunction with said tank portion. Ahelical spring 8d carried on said pivot pin maintains handle member 16normally in its open position. The side portions of said handle portionareturned downwardly to form side walls 82 adjacent side walls 22 ofbody member I8. A pawl 84 is pivotally carried on a stub shaft 86extending outwardly from one of side walls 82 adjacent the lower forwardcorner thereof, and is adapted to engage a gear S8 carried for rotationon a stub shaft 98 extending outwardly from side wall 22 of body memberIB.

Gear 88 meshes with gear 92 carried for rotation on stub shaft 94extending outwardly from side wall 22, and gear 96 carried on shaft 94and rotatable with Vgear 92 meshes with gear 98 rigidly mounted on theoutwardly extended end 'of shaft 46 carryingdrum 44. A tension spring Ide, secured at one end to pawl 84 and at its opposite. end to an arm |92rigidly carried by stub shaft 85, urges pawl 84 into engagement withgear 8. Thus whenever handle member 'E6 is depressed, drum 44 is rotatedthrough the 'above described gear'train to draw tape from roll 38. Byrepeatedly operating handle "I6, any desired length of tape may be drawnfrom the roll. A finger |84 rigidly secured to shaft 90 is adapted tocontact cam surface IE6 of pawl 84 as handle I6 approaches its upperposition and thereby force said pawl out of engagement with gear 8S. *Byturning nger |84 on shaft 98; and fixing its position thereon by meansof lock nut |08, the point in the oscillation of handle' *I6 at whichthe pawl engages gear 88 may be Varied, and thus the length of tapewhich is ejected for one oscillation of said handle may be adjusted.

A serrated blade Hv extending transversely relative to the face of drum44 is carried by a U- shaped bracket II2 `having its leg portions II4pivotally secured to opposite side walls 22 at IIE to the rear of drum44. Said blade when pivoted forwardly enters a slot IIS formed betweentwo bar members |28 extending between and rigidly secured-to side walls22; adjacent drum 44. Since the tape passes over slot'IIS after passingbetween drum 44 and roller 50, as shown in Fig. 4, it is apparent thatthe tape will'be cut off whenever blade I I I) enters the slot.

A tension spring |22 is secured at one end to a pin |24 carried bybracket I I2, and at its opposite end to a sleeve bracket |28`mounted onhandle member 76 adjacent stub shaft 85. Whenever handle 'i8 isdepressed, spring |22 is extended to urge blade bracket I I2 forwardly,as best shown in Fig. 7, said bracket being released by a triggermechanism hereinafter described when handle i5 has been fully depressed.When the handle is released, spring |22 becomes fully compressed andpushes bracket H2 rearwardly to its normal position. The inclusion ofthe major portion of the spring within sleeve |28 prevents itfrombuckling during the return movement.

Referring' 'to Fig; 5, it will be seen that blade bracket I 2 isnormally held in its rearward position by an angled trigger plate |23pivotally secured to side wall 22 at |30, a shoulder |32 of saidtriggerv engaging a shoulder IEA formed in the leg.' portion I I4 ofbracket I t2. The opposite leg oftrigger I128. contacts cam surfaceI36'of an arm ISB rigidly secured at its opposite endto the outwardly.extended end of a shaft. I4() extending between and rotatably supportedby side walls |22 adjacent the forward edge of drum 4d. A leaf springIfl2v is rigidly secured at one end to the flattened central portion ofsaid shaft, said spring being bifurcated. at its opposite end andadapted tobear resiliently against drum 415 at either side of gearteeth.48.,.as shown in Fig.. l0. Securedto spring: |112 intermediate itsends is an inwardly l projecting. detent Mfr adapted to project intoteeth 48' of drum Mi to arrest the rotationthereof.' Spring |1125 urgesshaft lei] in a clockwise di rection as viewed in Fig. 5 and` normallymaintainsv detent IM out of engagement with gear tetth 48'.

When. handle '1.5. has been almost fully den pressed, a finger lfxed tothe inner surface of side' wall 82. of. handle. 'i6 adjacent pivot piniii contacts finger |48 of trigger plate I2l and causes said triggerplate to be pivoted counter-clockwise as viewed in Fig..5. Thus shoulderISA of blade bracketl I I2 is freed. from shoulder 32.' of trigger plateI28 and said bracket is pivoted forwardly by' spring |22 and blade IIilenters slot Il to cutoff the tape, as best shown in Fig. 6. Since thetrigger is tripped only at the extreme position ofvha-n'dle 16, anydesired length of tape may be pulled from roll 36 by repeatedlyoscillating hanle- 'I6 through only a portion of its pivotal arc.

As blade bracket H2' pivots forwardly, the side wall II`4S thereofcontacts finger Iii. of trigger '|118 and causes said trigger to turnstill further in a c'ounterclockwise direction as shown inA Fig. 6. Asthis occurs, the opposite arm of the trigger., acting on` cam surfaceiBS-of arm |38, causes said arm and shaft Illel to turn in acounterclockwise direction as shown in Fig. 6, until shoulder l52 of thetrigger engages shoulder i54- of arm 38, thussecuring said trigger andarm in the position shown in Fig. 6. As shaft |48- is turnedcountereclockw-ise, leaf spring H2 is compressed and detent- IM- isengaged between a pair of adjacent gear teeth 481, locking drum Magainst further rotation.. Thus the drum is locked againstrotation at'substantially the same instant that the tape is cut off by blade llt.This prevents the feeding of" tape against blade I Ilwhensaidblade is inits forward position, and the consequent bunching or'waddi'ng of thetape above the blade.v

As handle 'it is pivoted upwardly by spring at, blade bracket I I2 ispivoted rearwardly by spring |22 as previously described. Then finger 46fixed to handle 56 contacts nger 56 of trigger I2'8, pivoting saidtrigger clockwise to release shoulder I52of said trigger from shoulderE54. of arm |38'. Arm ISB then is pivoted clockwise by leaf spring It?!vto withdraw detent IM from gear teeth 48 tounlock drum lill. .Camsurface ISS off arm- ISS; actingl on trigger t28, urges iinger 658downwardly against cam surface I6@ of side wall Il 4 of blade bracket H2is pivoted rearwardlyuntil shoulder |32 of said trigger falls behindshoulder it@ of said blade bracket. The cycleV may then be repeatedindefinitely by repeatedly oscillating handle TB.

' The upper of' bars I2@ forming slot I-IS is provided at its upper edgewith a forwardly turned ear" I-'6`2f`a's shown in Fig. Li, projecting toa point closely adjacent the surface of drum :i4 to prevent the tapefrom passing between said drum and bars |20. A pair of spaced apartparallel wires Iltare securedat their ends to the forward.d ly extendedportions of tank bottom "lll, and are looped forwardly to a positionadjacent the gummed side of tape Ell'. These wires prevent the tapefromcontacting blade. I I .llinits rearward position. Also, theshortmoistened end portion of the tape which remains afterr theremainder has beencut off can contact onlysaid wires. The small areaofcontactaids in preventing sticking: of said moistened tape end duringperiods of. non-use. Furthermore, it has been found that moistened. tapeend, since it is short, will remain moist so long as moistening roller5! remains moist. Thus it is believed that therewill be virtually nostick ing. or jamming of the tape. A cover |66 is re.- rnovably securedto side wall. 22 by means of screws It., and encloses the gearing andtrigger mechanism.

l inthe modified form shown in Figs. 1.1 to. 16 a solid drum Il!! isrigidly mounted. on shaft i6 in place of drum lfiusedin the preferredform, drum ili'- being substantially wider than the tape being used andbeing provided with a plurality of circumferentialiy spaced apartlongitudinalradial slots I l2. Moistening roller Eil. isidentical tothat used in 4the preferred form except that it is provided with acentral disc I'M of hard rubber or similar material instead of a gear,said disc being resili-ently. urged againstdrum il@ by bracket 54', Saidmoistening roller is` supplied with. moisture from tank 2d in the samemanner as employed. in the preferred form. A handle member il@ ispivotally connected to body member I8 by means of bolt 32, and isprovided with downwardly turned side walls I 'I'Sad'jacent side walls 22of body mem ber I8. Said handle isnermally urged toward iis upperposition by a compression spring |83 carried between said handle and.body member lei on a rod 82.

A pawl |813 ispivotally carried. on a stub shaft i361 extendingoutwardly from side wall I.l.8 ad- `iacent the lower forward edgethereof, and is adapted to engage gear 33: during the downward stroke ofhandle |716. A spring {.i carried on stub. shaft 85 urges saidpawl intoengagement with said gear. The gear train used. for driving drum Il@ issubstantially similar to that used inthe preferred form.

Blade Ill! is carried by a U-shaped bracket having its leg portions I2pivotally carried by side wallsV 32 at ISG and extending beneath thelower edges of said side walls. Said blade is adapted to enter one or'notches |12 of. drum I'li when bracket it@ is pvot-ed. forwardly, asshown in Fig. 16. Said bracket is normally held in its rearward positionby an angled trigger It pivotally mounted on side wall 22 at itil,shoulder Zl of said trigger engaging ear 2M. of said bracket.Y Anelongated nnder bar 265 is pivotally mounted on side wall 22 at 236adjacent pivot I 94 of blade bracket 96. Said finder' bar is provided atits forwardend with an inwardly turned portion 298 normally disposed inclosely spaced apart relation to the surface of drum ill?, substantiallywithin the pivotal orbit of blade III). Finder bar 2M is provided at itsrearward end with a shoulder 2l!! normally engaged by step 2I2 of atrigger 2 I4 pivotally secured to side wall 22 at 2l6. A tension spring2 I6 connecting triggers ISS and 2M serves to urge trigger ZIll intoengagement with bar 234-, and to urge trigger B96 against a pin 22'0 xedin bar 2M. A helical spring 222 is fixed' atv its lower end to bladebracket I9()Y and' at its upper end is-pivotally connected to stub shaft|86 carried by' handle H51 l A helical spring 224 is nxed at its lowerend to nder 204 adjacent shoulder 2 (3, and at its upper end ispivotally connected to a stub shaft 226 projecting outwardly from handle|16.

The operation of the modified form is substantially as follows. Theparts normally have the relative positions shown in Fig. 11. As handle|16 is manually pivoted downwardly, pawl |84 engages gear S8 to turndrum lli through gears 88, S2, 96, and 98. Tape is thereby drawn fromroll 36 between drum |16 and moistening roller 59, and passes arounddrum |70, whereby it may be applied under pressure to a surface ifdesired. As handle |16 is depressed, springs 222 and 224 are compressed,and respectively urge blade bracket |99 forwardly and iinder bar 2cddownwardly. However, since bracket l!) is retained by trigger ESS andfinder bar 261i is retained by trigger 2 I4, these parts may not move.As handle approaches the lower limit of its oscillation, cam surface 223contacts cam surface 23e of trigger 2M, pivoting said trigger clockwiseas viewed in Fig. 15, against the tension of spring ZIB. Shoulder 2|2 ofsaid trigger is thereby disengaged from shoulder 2id of finder bar 284,and said finder bar is urged clockwise by spring 224, as shown in Fig.15. However, inwardly turned portion 29S of said iinder bar then strikesthe surface of drum |19 adjacent the side of tape 69, and its pivotalmovement is thereby arrested. The parts are then disposed in therelationship shown in Fig. 15.

As handle |76 is still further depressed, drum |10 is still furtherrotated by the previously described gear train until one of slots |12 ofsaid drum is brought beneath nder bar 2M. Portion 2138 of said nder baris then pivoted into slot |72 by spring 22d. Simultaneously, pin 22@associated with bar 2M pivots trigger |96 counterclockwise as shown inFig. 16, against the tension of spring 2|8. Shoulder 22d of said triggeris thereby disengaged from ear 2212 of blade bracket Hd entering slotil? to cut off tape El! which is stretched across said slot. The partsthen have the relative positions shown in Fig. 16.

As handle Il@ is pivoted upwardly, springs 222 and 22d are rst fullyextended and then serve as tensile members for drawing blade Il@ andfinder 294 out of slot i12 and to their normal positions. Spring 2 i8serves to urge triggers |33 and 2|4 into locking engagement respectivelywith blade bracket |92 and nder bar 284.

Thus blade i i@ cannot be released until nder bar 2M has been engaged ina slot H2, and has positioned said notch to receive said blade. Thelocking of drum V52 by finder bar 2M also prevents the bunching of thetape which would occur if tape were fed through the device while theblade was in its cutting position. Since no part of the operation of theapplier depends upon gravity, even the flow of water from tank 2i! tomoistening roller El), it is clear that the applicator could be used inany position.

It is apparent that many minor changes in construction and operationcould be made without departing from the spirit of the presentinvention, and it is therefore desired to be limited only by the scopeof the appended claims.

What I claim is:

l. A gummed tape applicator comprising a body member, a drum carried forrotation by said body member and havin-g a relatively narrow strip ofgearing disposed circumferentially thereabout, a roller carried forrotation by said body member and urged resiliently against said drum,

said roller having a geared section adapted to mesh with the gearedsection of said drum, said body member being adapted to carry a roll ofgum-med tape having its end portion passing between said drurn and saidroller and gripped firmly by said meshing gear sections, and manuailyoperable means carried by said body member for rotating said drum todraw tape from said roll.

2. A gummed tape applicator comprising a body member, a drum carried forrotation by said body member, a moistening -roller carried for rotationby said body member and urged resiliently against said drum, saidmoistening roller being comprised principally of a spongy porousmaterial and having a relatively hard disc interposed thereon to contactsaid drum rmly, said body member being adapted to carry a roll of gummedtape having its end portion passing between said drum and said rollerwith its gummed side toward said roller, means for supplying moisture tosaid roller, and manually operable means carried by said body member forrotating said drum to draw tape from said roll.

3. A gumrn-ed tape applicator comprising a body member, a drum carriedfor rotation by said body member and having a circumferential gearedsection, a moistening roller carried for rotation by said body memberand urged resiliently against said drum, said moistening roller beingcomprised principally of a spongy, resilient material and having ageared disc interposed thereon adapted to mesh with the geared portionof said drum, said body member being adapted to carry a roll of gummedtape having its end portion passing between said drum andsaid rollerwith its gummed side toward said roller, means for supplying moisture tosaid roller, and manually operable means carried by said body member forrotating said drum to draw tape from said roll between said drum andsaid roller.

4. In a gummed tape applicator of the class described wherein the tapepasses over a meistening roller carried for rotation by a body member,means for supplying moisture to said roller comprising a spongy, porouspad carried by said body member in wiping contact with said roller andhaving its end portion snugly tted in a well formed by said body member,a water tank carried by said body member', a tube interconnecting saidwell and said tank, said tube being formed to present a loop within saidtank, and a Wick extending through said tube and falling loosely Withinsaid tank.

5. In a gummed tape applicator of the class described, wherein tape froma roll carried by a body member passes between a rotatable drum and arotatable moistening roller resiliently urged against said drum, rigidmembers associated with said body member to form a slot over which saidtape passes after passing between said drum and said roller, a handlepivotally connected to said body member and forming a scissors-type handgrip in combination therewith, means operable by the oscillation of saidhandle for rotating said drum to draw tape from said roll, a bladepivotally carried by said body member, means operable by said handle ata certain point of its oscillation to pivot said blade to enter saidslot to cut off said tape, and means operable by said handle to locksaid drum against further rotation substantially at the instant saidblade enters said slot.

6. ln a gumrned tape applicator of the class described wherein tape froma roll carried by a body men'iber:passes` between laf'rotatable drum anda. rotatable rn-oisteningv roller resiliently urged against said drum,said drum Aandslaid roller having meshing circumferential gearedportions adapted to grip said tape, means for supplying water to said'moistening roller, a handle pivotally carried by said body'member and'.oscillatable relative theret'ogja pair of rigid members carried by saidbody" member and forming a slot therebetween adjacent the surface'ofsaid drum over which saidtape passes,a vblade pivotally carried by saidbody member, adet'ent -carried by said bcdyfm'erribe'r-l and adapted toproject between an adjacent pair of gear teeth of saiddrum, meansnormally holding said detent out of engagement with. saidgearteeth,'means operable by the oscillation of said handle for ro tatingsaid drum to draw tape over said moistening roller, a spring operable bythe pivotal movement of said handle to urge said blade toward said slot,a trigger normally securing said blade against movement, means operableby said handle at a certain point of its oscillation to trip saidtrigger to release said blade, said blade then entering said slot to cutoff said tape, and means operable by said trigger for projecting saiddetent between an adjacent pair of gear teeth of said drum, therebylocking said drum against rotation.

1. A gummed tape applicator comprising a body member adapted to carry aroll of gummed tape, a drum carried for rotation by said body member andhaving a plurality of circumferentially spaced apart longitudinal radialslots formed in the peripheral surface thereof, a moistening rollercarried by said body member and urged resiliently against said drum, theend portion of said tape passing between said drum and said roller andextending over the outer ends of certain of said slots, means forsupplying moisture to said roller, a blade pivotally carried by saidybody member and adapted to enter selectively the slots of said drum,manually operable means carried by said body member for rotating saiddrum to draw tape over said moistening roller, means for locking saiddrum against further rotation and positioning one of the slots thereofto receive said blade, and means for pivoting said blade to enter saidslot to cut off said tape.

8. A gummed tape applicator comprising a body member adapted to carry aroll of gummed tape, a drum carried for rotation by said body member andhaving a plurality of circumferentially spaced apart longitudinal radialslots formed in the peripheral surface thereof, a moistening rollercarried by said body member and urged resiliently against said drum, theend portion of said tape passing between said drum and said roller andextending over the outer ends of certain of said slots, means forsupplying moisture to said roller, a blade pivotally carried by saidbody member and adapted to enter selectively the slots of said drum, ahandle member pivotally carried by said body member and forming ascissors-type hand grip in combination therewith, a spring compressibleby the pivotal movement of said handle to urge said blade toward saiddrum, a rst trigger normally securing said blade against movement, afinder bar pivotally carried by said body member and operable to tripsaid rst trigger when a portion of said nnder bar enters one of saiddrum slots, said finder bar being operable to lock said drum with saidslot positioned to receive said blade, a/spring compressible by thepivotal movement of said handleto ug said finderbar into engagement withsaid drum slot,Y a second trigger normally securing said finder baragainst movement, and a cam associated with said handle whereby saidsecond trigger is tripped at a certain point in the oscillation of saidhandle. v 9. In a gummedtape applier of the class described, whereingummed tape from a rollcar.- ried by a body member .passesvbetween arotatable drum and roller resiliently urged together, means for rotatingsaid drum to draw tape from said roll', a blade carried movably by saidbody member and adapted to sever said tape, resilient means urgingsaid'blade toward its cutting position, Va trigger normally retaining saidblade in its inoperative position, and means for operating said triggerto release said blade.

l0. In a gummed tape applier of the class described, wherein gumrnedtape from a roll carried by a body member passes between a rotatabledrum and roller resiliently urged together, means for rotating said drumto draw tape from said roll, a blade carried movably by said bodymemberandadapted to sever said tape, resilient means urging said bladetoward its cutting position, a trigger normally retaining said blade inits inoperative position, and means operable by said drum rotating meansto operate said trigger to release said blade.

11. In a gummed tape applier of the class described, wherein gummed tapefrom a roll carried by a body member passes between a rotatable drum androller resiliently urged together, means for rotating said drum to drawtape from said roll, a blade carried movably by said body member andadapted to sever said tape, resilient means tensioned by said drumrotating means for urging said blade toward its cutting position, atrigger normally retaining said blade in its inoperative position, andmeans operable by said drum rotating means for operating said trigger torelease said blade.

l2. In a gummed tape applier of the class described, wherein gummed tapefrom a roll carried by a body member passes between a rotatable drum androller resiliently urged together, means for rotating said drum to drawtape from said roll, a blade carried movably by said body member andadapted to sever said tape, resilient means urging said blade toward itscutting position, and means for locking said drum against rotationsubstantially at the same instant said tape is severed.

13. In a gummed tape applier of the class described, wherein gummed tapefrom a roll carried by a body member passes between a rotatable drum androller resiliently urged together, means for rotating said drum to drawtape from said roll, a blade carried movably by said body member andadapted to sever said tape, resilient means urging said blade toward itscutting position, a trigger normally retaining said blade in itsinoperative position, and means for operating said trigger to releasesaid blade, and substantially simultaneously locking said drum againstrotation.

14. In a gummed tape applier of the class described, wherein gummed tapefrom a roll carried by a body member passes between a rotatable drum androller resiliently urged together, means for rotating said drum to drawtape from said roll, a blade carried movably by said body member andadapted to sever said tape, resilient means tensioned by said drumrotating means l 1 for urging said blade toward its cutting position, atrigger normally retaining said blade in its inoperative position, a plooking member carried movably by said body member and adapted to looksaid drum against rotation, resilient means urging said locking membertoward its operative position, a trigger normally securing said lockingmember in its inoperative position, and means operable by said drumrotating means for substantially simultaneously operating both of saidtriggers to release said blade and said locking memberA WILLIAM C.RENNE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PA'EN'IS Number Re. 22,981 952,439

Number 15 781,470 81.856

Name Date Fitch Mar. 9, 1948 Faucher Mar. 15, 1910 Maynes Mar. 5, 1912Kennedy et al May 14, 1912 Thomas Apr. 4, 1916 Hendrix May 22, 1917 HartDec. 5, 1922 Gray Feb. 25, 1936 Shimer Nov. 30, 1937 FOREIGN PATENTSCountry Date France Feb. 25, 1935 Switzerland July 16, 1919

